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This manual is divided into three sections, the first dealing with the normal physiology of each element or compound that is described, such as water, electrolytes, buffering systems, and so forth; the second with the effects of individual fluid and electrolyte alterations in general sorts of clinical problems; and the third with specific clinical conditions. There is an additional section that is largely tabular in form, dealing with arrays of data to suggest differential diagnosis when specific laboratory facts are known.
In order to enjoy using this book, one must understand the specific limitations that it has and, just as you would not criticize a dictionary for its lack of plot or character development, one should not criticize this illustrated manual because it purports to do nothing more than to demonstrate (in the most graphic way possible) how one can make clinical sense from a series of laboratory data. Nevertheless,